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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24532081">Associations</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/emziezma/pseuds/emziezma'>emziezma</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Metal Gear</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>14y/o Meryl, Gen, snotacon if you squint</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 09:55:39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>884</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24532081</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/emziezma/pseuds/emziezma</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>(au in which Meryl is 14 yeard old) Meryl, Otacon, and Snake escape Shadow Moses together. The search for a way home is long, leading Otacon to take to opportunity to reminisce.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Associations</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is my propaganda for Meryl should have been 14 in mgs1 like she was originally planned to be. In this au (for lack of a better term) she and Snake don't romance, they absolutely do not kiss, and no one makes any comments about her ass. Also, Emma makes me feel Many emotions.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Metal Gear REX was destroyed and despite the several crises Solid Snake and Otacon had to endure that day, they walked away from Shadow Moses with a fleeting sense of hope; a hope that they had already seen the worst of metal gears but if not, they at least had someone they could trust to help them destroy the machine again. But for now, their goal was to find the snowmobile that Campbell had promised them. Snake led the way while Otacon followed behind carrying Meryl, who was slipping in and out of consciousness due to blood loss. With the lack of conversation between the men, Otacon was forced to rely on his own thoughts to pass the time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unfortunately, the only thing he could set his mind to was the limp mass in his arms. Each minute of stillness and silence from Meryl added to Otacon’s bubbling anxiety, which was only kept at bay by her shallow breathing. He looked down to notice that for the first time that day, she truly looked her age. A realization that only proved to sicken him more; it was impossible to ignore the blood caked on her face and slowly seeping into his lab coat from the bullet wound on her leg. Meryl was a child. A child that had been forced to partake in some of the worst realities of terrorism in the span of less than a day. She had been used as a pawn, a hostage, a weapon, and despite her orders to avoid trouble, she ended up with more injuries than Snake. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Really, Otacon was amazed he was able to lift this kind of weight. Was it the adrenaline? Perhaps it was muscle memory from the countless times he’d had to bring his sister to bed after falling asleep in front of a laptop on his bedroom floor. “Heh, she’s kinda like Emma too, in a way”. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who’s Emma?” Snake’s voice made Otacon almost jump. For a moment his nostalgia made him forget where he was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh... Uh, my sister. Sorry, I, um, I’d rather not talk about it…” Otacon’s voice trailed, nervous for what Snake might say.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Snake simply grunted in response. As a soldier, he learned very quickly that everyone had stories they would rather not tell, clearly this was Otacon’s. Not that Snake was the type to pry anyway. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Meryl, on the other hand, only managing to process bits and pieces of the conversation was slow to pipe up. ”Wh… What’s she like?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Meryl! You’re awake!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“mhm…” Her voice was barely audible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Otacon hesitated before proceeding. As much as he did not want to talk about his sister, anything that kept Meryl alive and conscious would have to be worth the mental strain, so he continued. “She, uh… She’s really smart, an incredible hacker. Honestly, she’s probably even better than me!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Snake listened but dared not speak, lest he disturb the intricate balance of emotions that were present on Otacon’s face. He stole the occasional glance back as Otacon gushed and noticed that not once that day did he look so fragile as at that moment. He somehow seemed much more brave sobbing in soiled pants than when his face was contorted into some sort of guilty nostalgia. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And she’s pretty stubborn and headstrong - kinda like you.” Otacon gained a dissatisfied grunt from Meryl. “And she uh- How old are you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fourteen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Haha, you guys are probably the same age now too!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why do you say it like that? Don’t you, like, live with her?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Otacon’s enthusiasm quickly faded. “Heh, not really. Jeez, I don’t think I’ve seen her since I started university.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Damn…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey now! You shouldn’t be swearing!” Otacon giggled at Meryl’s grimace. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The rest of their search was silent, save for the occasional check-in from Snake or Otacon that Meryl was still alive. It was an awkward silence that the two desperately wished to fill but, honestly, could not muster the mental capacity required to start a conversation. What would they even talk about? Over the course of one day, they formed a complete trust in each other but they hardly knew anything about each other. Before either of them had the chance to think too hard about it, they happened upon a small clearing in the snow where the foretold snowmobile waited. Snake situated himself and started it up while Otacon sat Meryl down on it and sat down behind her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, where to, Snake?” As Otacon sat down, his exhaustion finally caught up with him. It wasn’t until now that he realized how long he had been awake, how physically strenuous his day had been, how cold Alaska actually was. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A hospital first.” Snake nodded his head back to Meryl, healing her up was the first priority. “But after that, who knows.” He sighed and said quietly, “Also, it’s Dave.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hm?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My name. It’s Dave, uh, Hal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh. Hal and Dave; That’s a good one.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They laughed, fully and genuinely. Much less because of the joke and more from their relief. Relief in the trust they formed in each other, relief in being able to get Meryl to safety, relief in their survival. They revelled in the hot sunset on their backs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re right,” Snake said. “Maybe we should take a trip to Jupiter.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>In a similar vein, Snake should have been the one to walk Meryl down the aisle in mgs4 instead of Campbell. No, I will not accept any constructive criticism on this Take. Thank you for reading lmao</p></blockquote></div></div>
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